The invention set forth in this specification pertains to a machine for use in teaching the manner in which a conventional clock having rotatably mounted hands which turn about an axis indicates time.
It has long been recognized that it is comparatively difficult for children to learn how to "read" a clock so as to "tell" time. The reasons for this are considered to primarily relate to the fact that clocks are normally constructed so as to utilize an hour hand and a minute hand which rotate about a common axis relative to the numerals 1 to 12 disposed on a clock face adjacent to the hands. It is considered comparatively difficult to convey to a child the concept of motion of the minute hand in such a clock indicating numerical values other than those directly displayed on the clock face and to convey to a child the concept that when the hour hand in such a clock is located so as to point between two numerals that the hour hand indicates a numerical value corresponding to a lesser of these numerals.
Such recognition has of course led to the development of a number of different, specific devices for indicating to a child the manner in which a clock indicates time so as to teach the effective utilization of clocks. An understanding of the present invention is not considered to require a complete description of all known instruction devices for use in conveying the manner in which conventional clocks as described indicate time. Many of such devices have been constructed in such a manner as to mechanically couple clock hands with one or more dials which provide a visual readout of the time indicated by the hands of a simulated clock in the form of numerical values. In general prior devices of this category are considered undesirable for teaching purposes because they give a direct indication in numeric form of the time indicated by the positions of clock hands. In other words, when the hands of a simulated clock in such a prior device are in a specific position a child can automatically and concurrently look at a readout mechanism or dial to indicate in numeric form how the positions of the hands should be expressed.
Although devices of this type are unquestionably utilitarian for teaching purposes they suffer from a disadvantage. It is considered that a child in learning to use a clock should not automatically have available a numeric indication of the position of the hands of the clock. When a child has such a numeric indication automatically available the child will frequently not utilize his or her mental powers to determine the numbers indicating the positions of the clock hands, but instead will merely utilize the available numeric indication of the positions of the clock hands. While in time a child can learn to read a clock or to tell time utilizing a simulated clock providing an always available indication of the position of clock hands this type of device is disadvantageous.
This type of device is considered disadvantageous because it does not give a child the opportunity to look at the hands of a clock, to mentally determine the numeric values indicated by the position of such hands in the absence of an indication of such values and then, immediately thereafter, an opportunity to determine if the child's belief as to such numeric values was accurate or not. It is considered that an effective teaching of the use of a clock requires that a child be required to utilize his or her mental capacity and requires that immediately thereafter the child be given an opportunity to check or verify the answer the child has reached.